Roofing-joint.



FRANK S. HOWARD, F LOMBARD, ILLINOIS.

ROOFING-J'OINT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application led December 12, 1910. Serial No. 596,812.

Patentedl Mayl 30, 1911.

To all whom tt may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK S. HowAno, a

` citizen of the United States, residing at `joints between the .roofing is applied to Lombard, in the county of Y Dupage and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roofing-J o1nts,. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates'to improved means for Joining the edges of strips of roofingfelt, or other flexible roofing material, when laying the same.

Hitherto, it has always been a dlicult matter in laying roofing-felt to render 'the lengths secure against danger of disturbance from severe wind and sleet storms and always proof against leakage, this difficulty being enhanced where the anuneven surface, such as that of sheathing-boards'of uneven thick ness or old shingle roofs.

My object is to provide a simple and im: proved construction of lap-joint for lengths of flexible lrooting material which will overcome the said difliculties and may be quickly and easily formed as the roofing is laid.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a frag mentary sectional View of a roof showing my improved joint of the construction I'prefer when two-ply roofing material is employed; Fig. l2, a broken perspective lview of the edge-portion of one lof 'the two-ply lengths of roofing-felt shown in Fig. 1, as initially provided; Fig. 3, a view similar t0 Fig. 1, but showing the joint made of single-ply roofing-felt having edge-flaps on the upper surfaces; Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the way that the felt employed in Fig. 3 is initially provided; Fig. 5, aview similar to Figs. 1 and 3, showing a joint made ofsingle-ply roofing-felt having edgeflaps on its under side; and Fig. 6, a view similar to Figs. 2 and 4, showing the way the felt employed in Fig. 5 is'initially provided.

The numeral 7 designates the foundation upon which the roofing is laid. It may consist of sheathing-boards, either close together or spaced apart, or may be, as often happens,

- enold shingle roof which it is desired to render weather-proof by laying thereon the {ieXible roofing materiali In the case of lengths of roofing-felt, or the like, formed of two or morelayers or thicknesses 8, 9 cemented'together, Iprefer in the course of manufacture to insert strips 10` of thin paper, or vother suitable material, between the layers at they opposite edges thereof, as shown in Fig. 2. Each strip 10 is bent over upon itself to present the central folded edge 11. The layers -8 and 9 are cemented together between the strips 10, and at their edges may or may not be cemented against the outer surfaces of thevstrips, leaving the inner surfaces thereof always free to separate when' a strip is severed along the fold 11. Before laying the roofing the strips 10 are severed along their folded edges and one length of the felt is laid and positioned upon the roof and fastened down, by means of tacks 12, or other suitable fasteners, driven `at intervals along the edge-portion of its layer 9. The next length of felt is then positioned with the freeedge-portion of its layer 9 overla ping the layerV 9 of the length previousy positioned, 4and fastened down as by means of tacks, or the like 13. A strip of wood, or batten, 14 of substantial thickness and of any suitable shape in crosssection,v and approximatingin width, preferably, that of the flaps, or free edge-portions, of the layers 8, 9, is then placed up'on the overlapping layers 9 and fastened securely in place, as vby means pf nails 15. The free edge-portion, or flap, of the layer 8 of one length of felt is then drawn over the batteri and, if desired, fastened at intervals by means of tacks, or the like, 16, l

. and interposed'between the outer edge-portions of the parts 18, 19 are strips 10, as shown, and for the same purpose as hitherto stated. In laying this roofing the strips 10 are severed at the outer edge, leaving upper and lower flaps. The flaps produced by the edges ofthe length or layer 18 are fastened down, as by means of the tacks 21, a batten The flaps 19 are secured along '14 is fastened over the meeting edges of the lower fiaps, as by means of the nails 15, and the flaps 19 are drawn over the hatten and caused one to overlap the other, as shown.

The upper flap -19 is fastened down by means of suitable fasteners 17 which hold the layers 19 firmly to the batten. .l

In the construction shown in Figs. and 6,

lengths of iexibl'e roofing-material 22 are provided at their edges with iiaps 23 of the same material, the iiaps being on the under sides and-cemented at the meeting surfaces 24. The outer edge-portions of the aps and layers 24 are separated by t-he intervening strips .of flexible material 10, for the same .purpose as before described. In applying `this roongthe lower flaps-23 may be fastened down, the batten 14 placed thereon and the upper flaps secured in the same manner as describedin connection with Fig. 1. At each joint the outer layers vor flaps of roofing-felt, or the like, overlap each other upon 20j battens forming decided ridges which,

practice, Would approximate an inch, more or less, in height. The only place where moisture could enter, namely, between the surfaces of the upper fiaps,iis 'thus raised in a manner to prevent its becoming submer ed in Water running down the roof. If the as-l tenings 17 areplaced close enough together,

' they will hold the free' edge of the uppermost flap so closely against the next under- .lying flap as to obviateall danger of lmoisture enteri-ngbetween those flaps `and -with-` out the necessity of cementing these iiaps togethen4 Thebattens 14 should, preferably.,

. be so stiff as to render them practically unyielding, so that the upper layers will at all times remain firm, and the bat-tens operate to pinchthe lower layers of rooting-material securely between them and thefoundation 7 The strips 10 are applied in the manufacture of the lengths of rooting at the factory, and serve to hold the aps Without .danger of Vtheir becoming stuck together; and these substantial Water shedding ridge over the joint, the edge-portions of said lengths having flaps extending over, and one overlying the other upon, said batten, and fasteners securing the said flaps -to the batten.

2. In a roof,- the combination with-the sheathing, or the like, of lparallel lengths of iexible roofing-material overlying thef sheathing and provided at their adjacent edges each with a pair of upper and lower flaps, a Wooden batten imposed upon the lower aps and clamping the same to the sheathing, said batten beingof suiiicient thickness to constitute a substantial water shedding ridge overv the joint, the upper flaps extending over, and one overlying the other upon, said batten, andfasteners securing said upper flaps to the batten.

FRANK S. HOWARD.

In presence of- R. A. SCHAEFER, R. A. RAYMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for dve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, n. c." 

